The invention relates to an incontinence article in pants form for absorbing bodily excretions.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
Incontinence articles in pants form principally differ from openable and closable incontinence articles in conventional diaper form, in that the waist circumference is already predetermined by the pant form, and the adjustment to different body sizes based on a number of basic sizes is achieved in that the article can be elastically stretched. For this, elastifying means, in particular in the form of bands or threads, often also referred to as Lycra—threads, are usually connected in a pre-tensioned state (Stretch-Bond-Method) to chassis materials of the incontinence article i.e., they are fixed in a pre-tensioned state on the chassis materials for example by means of glue. Due to their pre-tension, these elastifying means bundle chassis materials together, thereby forming plications, which typically extend transverse to the direction in which the elastifying means are pre-tensioned, i.e. in this case in longitudinal direction of the article. The incontinence article or the elastified chassis materials of the incontinence article can then be elastically stretched again when the user puts on the incontinence article like a pant. The chassis materials themselves on the other hand are preferably non-elastic and can thus be guided in a well defined manner in the transport plane in a flat or evenly spread out state so that the elastifying means can then be attached with a defined pre-tension.
For non-detachably connecting the stomach section or the back section with the crotch section in the respective overlapping region, a full-surface joining, in particular gluing, or a joining over less than the entire surface can be selected. In known hygiene articles, often times in order to join large surface regions, adhesive is applied over the entire surface, or adhesive is applied in spiral form essentially over the entire surface through nozzles. There are also hygiene articles, however in which a different approach is taken; thus US 2004/0116886 A1 for example teaches not to join large surface areas of the respective overlapping region; This is intended to retain freedom of shape and flexibility of the components in the overlapping region, and not to be influenced negatively by a joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,549 teaches to provide respective areas with different adhesive properties in the respective front or rear overlapping region. A waist-averted region i.e., a region facing the center of the crotch section and extending in transverse direction is to have a greater mass per area of the adhesive than a region which is located waist-side relative to this region. The regions can be coated with adhesive over their entire surfaces or linearly, spirally or punctiform.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,810 B2 teaches to connect the crotch section and the stomach section or the crotch section and the back section only very partially to one another.
As mentioned before, the two-dimensional elastification of the stomach- and back band in transverse or waist-circumferential direction leads to an elastic bundling up of the chassis materials, which enables an adjustment of the incontinence article in pant form to the respective body circumference in the first place. As a result of this bundling up, pleatings form which can also be perceived when they extend more or less than in the longitudinal direction of the hygiene article. The course of the elastifying means which extend in transverse or waist circumferential direction can also be recognized. In the front and rear overlapping region, these pleatings which extend in the longitudinal direction of the incontinence article, are less pronounced due to the stiffening effect of the crotch section; in known articles, they can typically still be perceived at this location. Because elastifying means also extend in the overlapping region in approximately transverse direction, because they typically are supplied in the machine direction of the stomach and back section i.e., in transverse direction, and switch sides relative to the incontinence article, further structures result which can at least be optically perceived. Even though the mentioned elastifying means no longer possess their elastifying effect in the respective overlapping region of crotch section and stomach section or crotch section and back section, i.e., they are deactivated in an appropriate manner, in particular cut, the course of the elastifying means in the finished product can be recognized. A structure forms, which approximately extends in the transverse direction, and can be optically perceived and creates a technical appearance of the article.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an incontinence article with an improved connection between the three components, i.e., the connection of crotch section and stomach section in the front overlapping region and of crotch section and back section in the rear overlapping region with regard to the aforementioned aspects, which connection reliably withstands on one hand the stress situations that occur during use of the incontinence article and on the other hand, results in an esthetically pleasing appearance of the incontinence article with regard to the aforementioned aspects.